Eric Berry ‘blacked out’ going through Arrowhead tunnel
The Kansas City Chiefs may have lost a stunner on Thursday night to the Denver Broncos, but there was one moment which put a smile on every fan in Arrowhead Stadium that night. Strong safety Eric Berry, who had been diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma the previous season, had beaten the odds and returned to football only eight months later, cancer-free.
Berry, who remains the best story of the 2015 National Football League season, was introduced Thursday to a raucous Arrowhead crowd. His memory of the moment he emerged from the tunnel and onto the field? Per quotes provided by the Chiefs:
“I don’t know, I blacked out. I don’t even remember it, it was just so much emotions – I can’t even really remember it.”
Berry was basking in the cheers for a good 5-10 seconds in the moment, enjoying the legions of men, women and children in the crowd who were applauding for his human spirit. Berry went on to play all but two of Kansas City’s defensive snaps in the game, showcasing that he is back in both name and deed.
“At the end of the day, this is an opportunity, it’s a blessing and I’m just thankful for it. Everything that surrounds the game and everything that is a part of the game, I appreciate it a lot more, even though I did before – now it’s just a whole different level of that. I just take everything in and enjoy it – the good, the bad and everything that comes along with the game.”
The sixth-year player out of the University of Tennessee says he feels completely back in the physical aspect, while the mental side is almost there. Berry also talked about regaining chemistry in the secondary, something that should be helped when Sean Smith returns to the lineup next week. For right now, everything is a day-to-day process.
“I know I can push myself. That whole little experience I went through, I found out a lot of things about me physically and mentally that I can do. It’s more so of just experience and just going through different situations in the football game and just getting through it and being able to adjust on the go. I think that’s more of it. As far as physically pushing myself through certain situations, I can do that.”
Yeah … the little experience. Finally, Berry was asked about how the team would rebound from the loss against Denver while getting ready to face a tough Green Bay Packers team.
“To be honest with you, I think it’s just about us being the best that we can be. We can’t control that it’s on Monday night, we can’t control the team that we’re playing against. The one thing we can control is just going out there as a team and making sure that we handle our business. Try to finish plays and just go out there and play ball and just finish plays to the best of our abilities. I think if we do that, down-in and down-out, I think we’ll be a pretty good team. That’s the main focus.”